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[4th/11th] Week 280 :: The Disasters of War // Bounty

Nutella

Homoerotic Subtext
Latens
5,000✦
Exa
⏆2,500
Bounty
⏈0
Dahlitium (⏆50 per)
0⌯
Bigatium (⏆100 per)
0⍨
Auritium (⏆300 per)
0⍫
Vitatium (⏆1200 per)
0⌭
Caelitium (⏆6000 per)
0⌬
THE DISASTERS OF WAR

The night was cold in Aragon. Starless skies blanket the whole municipal as the stale air failed to touch of those souls already in deep slumber. In the wide, silent streets, only the puddles of rain remained on the still-moist concrete, reflecting nothing but the meager lights of the flickering streetlamps. Everything was eerily silent and cold, unlike any other night that the Spanish municipality had ever experienced before.

And no one is awake enough to witness the arrival of someone from their sorrowful past.





HOLLOW

Goya - Gillian

Reiatsu: 20,000
Combat: 13,000
Ability: 2,000
Sonido: 5,000
Emptiness: 14,000

Goya takes the form of an undead war general, with withered skin, tattered clothes, rusty armor, accompanied by a chariot of fire driven by four, equally undead horses. He stands at roughly 8 feet and attacks his enemies using his massive broadsword. To purify the hollow, the masks of these five must be destroyed.
 
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The veil of silence, though however eerie and impregnable, was torn asunder in an instant. Muffled voices rambled on in the dead of night, scrambling as their faint tone grew with stark intensity. Loud footsteps hulked through one of the sleepy suburban homes, followed by the yelling and screaming of what seemed to be a woman in distress. The apartment door slammed open, and from its darkened aperture came two individuals. A Spanish woman, fair and in her late twenties, was wrapped loosely in bedraggled sheets and nothing more. Her face bore a look of infernal contempt, inflamed in every sense of the word. She pointed at the man, yelling out for the whole world to hear.

“PolicÁ­a! PolicÁ­a! Detener a este loco! PolicÁ­a!” she screamed, much less from fear and more from indignation.

The young man targeted by her ire, ebony hair caught in total disarray, began to walk away. He chuckled to himself, deviancy in its finest carrying his gait. He glanced back at her, throwing his arms halfway into the air.

“¿Por qué estás enojado? Yo nunca dije que iba a ser amable, chica!” the man said, his voice bearing a heavy American accent.

“Ugh!! Permanece jodidamente lejos de mÁ­, monstruo!! PolicÁ­a!!” the lady barked once more, louder this time.

Before their little commotion could escalate any further, he took to the streets and made off. At the very least, despite the unfortunate aftermath of his latest conquest, he still managed to come out of it with his pants intact. With no options left and the city dead asleep, perhaps just for tonight, a simple motel would do.

Moving at a snail’s pace along a dim-lit sidewalk, Hunter gave out a tired yawn.



286​
 


While the woman's words still rung on his ears, another sound reverberated on the empty streets... the distinct sound of metal horseshoes clapping against the ground. Not just one, but the sound of several horses marching closer and closer. It was not until a few minutes later that it was accompanied by the sound of screeching metal and the stench of blood and decaying flesh. In the silent night, a thousand screams echoed from afar, such a cry only garnered by unspeakable atrocities. The air's temperature suddenly rose, as though it was not night, but at the peak of noon. To a normal citizen, the air had become heavy, suffocating, as if there was an unseen menace lurking around the streets.

To the untrained soul, its was never to be seen, and never to be felt hanging around the corner. No, none of them would have sensed his coming.

In the wink of an eye, the streetlamps flickered even more, leaving the streets in total darkness. There was nothing to be seen, with the moon veiled behind the eerie clouds. Except for the lone figure who sat gloriously upon his chariot of fire, whose large figure cast a tall shadow behind him. It was a scream he heard, the scream of fury that only sung a melody on his ears. It was like a call that invited him to go closer and hear it more. Faster and faster, the large hollow directed his chariot to that woman, his empty eyes glinting with his lust... for blood.


"I am the gullet
of a woman hanged whose body like a bell
tolled over a blank square
I am Goya"​

 
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There was a prick in the back of his mind, like a fly buzzing around incessantly until one was driven to the point of insanity. The feeling was unmistakable, as it was familiar. How could he not know what it was? He had dealt with those ‘things’ as far back as he could remember, carrying with him a win-loss ratio he’d really rather not put too much thought into. Hunter groaned irritably, scratching his head as he turned around to meet the fiend. As much as he cared for Senorita Bianca’s wellbeing, there was simply too much hassle dealing with a monster in the dead of night... especially when there was no tangible payoff. He was on vacation for Christ’s sakes—a week in Spain away from his brother and whatever other madness Tokyo had up its sleeves.

Regardless, the moment he saw some freaky-ass chariot pull over the lot he was sleeping just minutes prior, Hunter simply couldn’t help but smirk upon hearing the creature’s monologue.

“Let’s be real here,” he whispered to himself. “That is tacky as hell.”

He strode coolly towards a parked moped off the side of the lane, using but a tinge of supernatural energy to hoist the scooter over his shoulders. Clearing his throat, he aimed to catch the demon’s attention.

“I am the phallus
which would pierce the heavens!
The earth trembles before my vigor!
I am Hunter Blackburn!”

Shakespearean gold. Truly.

With little effort, he hurled the motorcycle mightily for the Hollow’s back.



537​


stats desu


Reiatsu: 22,000
The Plague // 24,200
The Black Death // 28,600

Combat: 12,000
Agility: 5,000
Fortitude: 5,000

Resonance [100/11,000]
 
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And while the young human rushed to the undead, the hollow only stopped his chariot, waiting for the metal structure to reach him. He feared nothing of those-- for he was the image of death, and nothing more. Not even the horde of a thousand leagues could scare this hollow. He had seen them all-- fires burning, bodies decaying, technology evolving, all for the sake of destruction. Was he supposed to be surprised that something used for transportation had also been used for killing? Not at all.

Lifting his broadsword out from its sheath, the hollow merely stood up and with a loud screech, the timeless blade split the motorcycle cleanly in half. At that moment, all four of his horses turned its heads towards the human, empty eyes seeking to destroy whatever had interrupted them from eating the woman, who, at that time, screamed upon the sight of half-motorcycles barely missing her body. It was only then that the woman, scared out of her wits, ran back up to where she came from, leaving Goya and the other man alone in the street.

As the flames in the chariot danced about, it shed light into the hollow's appearance-- it was that of an extremely tall man garbed in a rusty armor, holding a sword seemingly eroded by time itself. The bulky figure was a mass of dry flesh and tattered clothing, as though he was once buried and pulled out from the dead, only with a large, gaping hole right at the middle of his chest. The same could be said to his four horses, whose pitch-black skin clung to their bones. Their faces were all masked by the all-familiar piece of a bony structure-- the unmistakable mark of a hollow.

To the darkened street, it was the only sight to be beheld: the sight of a large hollow and his chariot heading towards the human, ready to swing his sword as soon as the human comes within reach. "Do you not enjoy missing the war, Human?"
 
“Eh?”

Hunter raised an eyebrow at the monster’s odd query. Any sort of witty comeback had to wait, however, as Goya’s massive broadsword swept closer for the Advent’s neck. He watched carefully, waiting for the ample time to react. Though his exterior remained unchanged, inside, his mind was moving with post-human speed. Every neuron inside his brain sparked with jolts of lightning, spiraling back and forth, sending transmissions of control all throughout his body. With the rusted blade inches from his throat, Hunter swept himself away with a pulse of reishi igniting underneath is heels.

Scratching the bridge of his nose, he pondered briefly on the Hollow’s words before inevitably responding, “Alright I’ll play along. Something, something the war, the glorious war. I revel in it! And whatever the hell else. That good enough, big guy?”

Without warning, he pounced for the beast, both hands coiled into hardened fists. Coming within range, he struck with a thunderous right hook, followed suit by a straight jab aimed for its forehead. At first glance, though his strikes appeared ordinary, behind each blow was an explosive force flaring with energy. Literally.



725
R: [2,954/11,000]​







Initial Awakening

The Plague

Attack 1: Every part of Hunter’s body is riddled with the explosive might of his spiritual energy. Although he already possesses superhuman strength, his physical blows can become supercharged if he chooses to pay 5% of his current reiatsu for every strike. This reflects as an explosive release of energy the moment his skin makes contact with an enemy, either through a punch, a kick, or a simple head butt.

Attack 2: He calls it ‘reiatsu condensation.’ By compacting enough spiritual energy into a small frame, Hunter is able to forge a pair of small blade-like appendages attached to his forearms. Roughly 15-inches from the wrists, the dual razors serve as his go to choice for close quarters combat. It costs 500 reiatsu every time he manifests them.
 


Though not visible due to the darkness that enshrouded them, there was an excited smile already playing on the dead man's lips. It was like one of those scenes he enjoyed seeing, the scene of people running their way to their deaths. It was no doubt, peace did not veer their hearts away from wanting destruction. And Goya welcomed it with fondness. Instead of stepping away from the human's line of sight, the large hollow used his other hand to stop the right hook-- and did not fail as miserably as one would expect of someone who did not look strong enough to block an attack. And while the jab would have hit Goya squarely on the forehead, that much did not happen. Instead, the other fist took ahold of the empty air as the hollow stepped aside, using the momentum of his other arm to swing back the blade from which it came from, leaving the broadsword closing in on the Advent's head once more. Even as Hunter's closed fist released the menacing energy within, the hollow simply allowed it to detonate on his hands, burning nothing but the stale flesh and the tattered skin, leaving the frame of charred bones still intact.

"Ah, is that so? That's a shame. You would have enjoyed it if you were a man of my time," the hollow said, his gruff voice leaving the shadow of a smile as he stepped down from his chariot, allowing his eight-foot frame to loom over the human. "But since you cannot go there to see it, I'll bring them to you."

Without a single instruction or gesture from the ominous hollow, his burning chariot and the four horses moved away, almost in a distinct direction as they ran around, leaving a trail of smoke behind them. While the rusty wheels of the chariot screeched lightly, there was something else that could be heard as the horses ran faster and faster-- the faint sound of screaming and crying people, pleading for their lives, growing ever louder as each second passed. It was unlike before when his chariot merely moved upon the streets. This time, it seemed closer... it seemed real. And, just as the pleas of the people came almost like a cry of a falling city, the trail of smoke burst to life, engulfing the combatants, ensnaring this patch of land in Aragon as their own war field.

"You revel in the war? That's assuring, human. I'll see to it that you'll enjoy this one, too."


1098​
 
“You’re one of those guys that talk the entire time while fighting, huh?” A sharp frown quickly came over the black-haired agent. “At least make it interesting. What, you gonna make me piss my pants over some screaming bitch? Oooh, big scary monster can show me ghosts. What a twist!”

With Hunter riding along the stygian chariot, the opportunity for delivering a devastating blow was everywhere. Over both his knuckles manifested a pair of double-edged blades wrought from raw spiritual energy. Their gleaming steel sang cacophonously amidst the galloping wagon, brimming with the unholy flames reflected off the undead general.

“...And so is this!”

Three instantaneous blows, each carrying the piercing strength of his blades, stung the Hollow with crushing intent. The first came at Goya’s chest, the next to its jaw, and the last aimed just above its groin.



865
R: [9,454/11,000]
85% Resonance Achieved​



Blades just came out of his fists used [ Kyuukei ] - "Break” to punch Goya.
 


This time, instead of simply just catching the attack, there was something else that met Hunter's fists. While the human made his way to Goya, a thrum of energy cackled on Goya's hands, gathering energy as it coalesced at his open palm forming large orbs hovering right in front of him. It was more than an orb that rapidly spinned and brightened the whole street and its darkest corners, no. Even a hollow's normal cero would perhaps pale in comparison to its devastating power. With one push from his hands, the massive wave of lightning shot towards the young man, roaring with energy as it moved forward, and never to stop once it reaches the flames dancing around them, enclosing them with all its fury.

Yet, even from behind his maleficent assault, Goya stood waiting for the hunter, hands still thrumming with the same kind of pure energy that he had just released.

1251​
 
Immediately, Hunter was consumed by the malefic force unleashed by the beast. His silhouette was drowned in Goya’s blinding purge, briefly lost from sight. Yet, when it would seem as though the stream of lightning would continue its destructive march forward, its path was quelled and shattered, its outlets of sparks dissipating in an instant. Driving out from the dust and smoke was a crimson blast, coning over in a straight path for the monster. The wall of energy, appearing very much like a true cero, was thrice the size of its target, encompassing a vast space that robbed Goya of all semblance of escape.

Standing behind the abominable flood of fire was a demon of its own accord. Drenched in the flesh of night and veins of thunderous ferocity, Hunter towered tall under the guise of his purest, strongest form. This was his true power awakened and kicking, ready to snatch life and limb piece by bloody piece.

“I bet my left nut I’m scarier than you, asshole!” his voice was filtered completely, as if passing through the blades of a spinning fan. “Check yourself before you wreck yourself, friend.”

Before the creature could even react to the first beam, Hunter incited another flurry, unleashing two more torrents of searing red tsunamis to crash down on the infidel.



1,084
100% Resonance​

Everythang
The Black Death

Attack 1: To Hunter, the more the merrier. With his True Awakening, he is no longer limited to just protruding blades from his forearms. By paying 700 reiatsu every time he activates it, Hunter can allow myriads of double-edged blades to protrude from his entire body in a porcupine-like fashion for both defensive and offensive purposes. The force of their thrust when unleashed is determined by the amount of Combat the man has (i.e. how strong he can thrust a sword with his full strength). At his own discretion, he can choose how many blades could appear at once and at what specific area of his body they can grow from.

Attack 2: Giant motherfucking lasers. 15% reiatsu a pop.

Also he looks like this:
icr53a.jpg
 


Goya met the first blast with one of his own, shooting the incoming red blast with the same raw energy as the attack he previously used, although it did not fare well against the attack. Soon, the hollow was bathed in a pure red light, the attack swallowing him entirely-- not just swallowing, but throwing him afar from the impact of the first torrent. The next two torrents of pure energy pushed him farther and charred whatever was left of his undead muscles, like meat slowly cooking on his bones that withstood the damage dealt by the human's attack.

It seared and burned, but it didn't daunt the hollow, who was only too happy to receive those wounds.

The hollow's bulky body hit a building, but instead of snapping bones, there was a different kind of sound that certainly took several Spanish citizens from their sweet slumber. The sound of Goya's body hitting the establishment rang across the streets, not for the large bones that shattered in his body, but the sound of crashing concrete as the hollow's body created a large hole right where a large bakery window once stood, with such impact that it left a cleave on the second storey's floor, leaving rubble to fall on the earthen tiles beneath. The blood-curdling scream of a woman from inside rang across the street as well, speaking in a language that was all-too familiar to Goya. It asked for help, startled by the appearance of an invisible menace.

Meanwhile, the monster's body and the boy's attack did not stop from the wall as it pushed Goya right through the counter, and later to the metal shelves that quickly fell as the monster went right through its lanes, and stopping only on the next wall, leaving a large crack as the impact of the attack that nearly pushed him right through the brick wall. Kitchen utensils fell around the eight-foot hollow, some of them bouncing right on his metal armor.

"Ay, dios mio!" The woman's voice reached Goya's ears as her footsteps hurried down the wooden stairs. With an audible gasp, the middle aged woman stood at the foot of her stairs, horrified of the sight that welcomed her eyes. "¿Qué está pasando a mi panaderia?!" She spoke, voice quivering from utter surprise. What could have left her shop in such a disarray?

The woman walked slowly towards the baking area, mumbling words to herself that quickly stopped when Goya put his arm atop the large fireplace that the bakery could have once used for creating their sumptuous treats. Once. As he pushed himself up, the cracked structure finally gave way, the bricks crashing on the floor. Grunting from the pain, the hollow finally had his feet planted on the ground once more, and took no time to take a respite.

Without paying the woman no heed, the hollow walked forward with slow, heavy footfalls, back into the large hole from which he came from, gathering the red spiritons at his mouth, forming the all-too-familiar sight of a hollow's cero. And when he reached the opening, clouds of dust rose up, obscuring him from the view of the human, revealing nothing but the monstrous attack of pure crimson energy heading straight to Hunter's direction.

1,795
 
“Oooorah!”

At a moment’s notice, the agent charged at the incoming beam with reckless abandon. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he lunged at the destructive ray with the full might of his superhuman physique. His shadowy palms clutched the cero tightly as his flesh sizzled and burned from underneath its protective film coating. With Hunter’s own spiritual energy parasitically corrupting the enemy’s attack, its strength was lessened somewhat, though not enough to dissipate it completely. Every fiber of his muscles tightening, he shifted his weight to the side, breaking off the cero’s murderous path.

With the scarlet death detonating at an abandoned loft just meters away from the battlefield, Hunter eyed down the beast as he gasped for air. He began panting heavily, as his lungs began to contort inside his chest. Only now did he regret neglecting all the cardio suggested by his brother. He barely trained in endurance, plus the two-pack a day chain smoking only made things worse. Had he been in his top physical shape, he would’ve taken out the undead bastard hours ago. Shaking his head, Hunter whispered underneath his breath dismissively, “Yolo.”

He regained his composure, leaping with unparalleled heights towards Goya. Spitting out yet another deathly beam directly for the Hollow, once he came within striking range, he unleashed another barrage of punches, all reinforced by the bladed lethality of his True Awakening.



1,316​

True Grit and Bulwark used as Techs.
 


"Is that all you can do, human boy?" Goya finally spoke, from beyond the blast of crimson that stood between them. The hollow's body too, was surrounded in raw energy unlike the thrum of a cero. No, it was a far more simple one. It was the thrum of raw lightning, surrounding his body from head to toe, even to the little portions of his body. It glowed and cackled, almost making him a living light for the darkness that enveloped the wrecked bakery.

Then, releasing the pressure from his hands, he met the incoming crimson attack with the cackling white burst of pure lightning, deflecting the human's attack to the same direction from whence it came from and sent one more destructive wave of energy, heading towards the human as the hollow attacked it head on, his large broadsword on the front. It was a sword that only the strongest of attacks could weather, and he was not the least bit frightened as a malicious smile formed on his lips.
 
“I’m gonna shove my fist so far up your ass...”

Twisting off sideways in midair, Hunter was spared from the deflected path of his own attack. Vexed and frustrated, the agent continued his downward swoop, landing on the undead commander’s massive shoulders. From his entire body scores of blades sprouted and grew, piercing the Hollow on everywhere it made contact with the young man. A particularly longer cleaver stretched out from Hunter’s hands, cascading downwards as it came crashing down behind the creature’s neck. His left hand split off, targeting Goya’s titanic broadsword.

“...you won’t be able to walk straight!”

With a quick flick of the wrist, a massive jolt of energy spewed and engulfed his opponent’s sword-arm.



1,434​


[ Seiryouku ] - "Force” used in the attack on Goya's neck.
 


The maleficence that protruded from the human's body would not have been enough to vanquish the remnants of Goya, whose massive figure did not hesitate to face the human head on. The rusty armor he donned would have been strong enough to protect him from the human's spires. While the barrage of attacks crashed down and pounded upon his undead flesh, all of it endured, almost as though the human merely poked holes on the hollow's stuffing.

An orb of energy collected on his mouth, cackling with pure crimson energy as the familiar feel of a cero thrummed once more. However, instead of a full blast, the cero launched prematurely, its strength whittling into something less destructive than it should have been. It could have been better, if not for something that gave way to its weakness.

His body had endured a lot. However, the said could not be said for his mask. Halfway through his attempted assault, one of Hunter's blades managed to reach his mask and shatter its top portion. The attacks continued on, and there was nothing he could do. A loud, low-pitched scream escaped Goya's mouth as the pain of a shattering mask overcame his sensations.
 
Although the attempted cero was coarse and unrefined, its shockwave alone sent the agent tumbling back from the monster. Landing back first against the pavement meters away from the fearsome general, Hunter growled, straining as he tried to regain his footing. He wasn’t able to fully end the monster right then and there, but no matter. He was able to penetrate its defenses just enough to deliver a swift, powerful rebuttal that would hopefully topple the son of a bitch for good.

Bracing himself, Hunter took in a deep breath. He leaped further away from the Hollow, securing an ample enough space to maneuver in. Forcing the left foot forward and the right one back, he tightened his stance, lest he be blown away by his own planned machinations. The agent had only done the technique once before, and to both his chagrin and amusement, it ended disastrously. But there was just no room for second thoughts, no time for hesitation. He had to put his balls on the table and go all in.

The stygian mass which cloaked Hunter’s entire body loosened, crawling down to his right hand like some sort of living slime parasite straight out of a Spiderman comic. The amalgamation of convulsing mass began to solidify in his grasp, extending outwards to form an eight-foot long spear. Veins of bright orange pulsating up and down its length, Hunter could feel all his powers leave his body and siphon inside the massive impaling-stick.

“Bite the pillow, punk,” he sneered, voice no longer filtered under his power’s guise. “I’m coming in dry.”

Looking like his regular old self again, he looked the Hollow dauntlessly before chucking the spear with all his strength straight for the creature.



1,722​

That right there was his Overdrive attack, so Resonance is back to 0%. Hit or miss, the spear's gonna create a giant fuarking explosion with strength consistent to any OD move.
 


Still distracted from the pain that now coursed through its unsightly visage, the hollow was in no position to escape the oncoming attack from the hunter. With one mighty pierce, the spear settled itself right through the hollow's bosom and exploded in a bomb's worth of firepower, decimating the surrounding area in which he stood. With his body now weak enough from all the attacks, it failed to endure through the explosion and sent out the fragments of Goya flying into different directions, his armor, his broadsword, fragments of broken bones and most importantly, fragments of a shattered mask that swiftly whittled away into nothingness.

As soon as the commander left the face of the Earth, there was nothing to be heard, save perhaps for the soft voices of the residents of Aragon, woken up by the ruckus caused by the fight that left their small municipality in shambles-- the fight of a human, and something completely unknown to them. As the fires of Goya slowly disappeared, only the distant sound of the horses' footsteps remained.

2,350 || FINAL​

 
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The smoldering heat from the point of impact remained, cracks of charred pavement lighting up the dim Spanish streets. Hunter was thoroughly spent, more so than anything Miami at night could throw at him. No amount of aspirin could simply spare him from the gut-wrenching sensation that poked and prodded his entire body. He might as well have OD’d on cocaine while being hung-over... and even then, he still wouldn’t feel as shitty as he did now. There was a reason he barely used the full extent of his paranormal powers, and that was exactly why.

Limping away from the crater left by his coup de grace, he raised a single middle finger to whatever remained of the beast.

“Bastard.”

Before the agent could even take ten steps out, however, the sirens from before came back, blaring wildly as police cars rushed out from both ends of the street. Surrounded, a mass of officers came pouring out of the vehicles, guns pointed at him.

“¡Pon tus manos arriba! ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale, cabron!” one of the policemen growled at him.

“¡Coño, manos donde podamos verlas! ¡Ahora!” shouted another.

Dumbfounded and annoyed, Hunter simply couldn’t help but stomp his feet in exasperation. Just his luck. He just saved the town from some undead monster trying to eat people, and this was the reward he got. Backwoods hick-towns in Spain were officially off his go-to places.

“W-what!? Oh come on! That’s bullshit!”



1,960 - FINAL​
 

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